An Elmwood man was sentenced Friday in Henry County Circuit Court to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the predatory criminal sexual assault of a 6-year-old girl last August at the Hatzer-Nordstrom Equipment auction in Annawan.Danyel BJ Smith, 26, was also sentenced to a consecutive 20-year term for kidnapping the little girl. Smith must serve 85 percent of that sentence, followed by three years of mandatory supervised release.Both are Class X felonies. [...]
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Elmwood man gets life sentence for sex assault of 6-year-old girl
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Rural firefighters, thanks for all you do
Every fall farmers worry about field fires. Dry corn stalks can easily be ignited by a spark from a hot part on a combine moving through a field of picked or unpicked corn or soybeans. This fall periodic rains have kept the field debris relatively damp and there have been no reports, that we have heard, of flames scorching 10 ro 20 acres of land leaving scorched earth in its wake. That wasn’t the case last year, however. One field fire, in particular, hit close to home, [...]
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Kewanee man faces several meth charges
A Kewanee man faces a number of felony methamphetamine charges after his arrest at a local residence Tuesday afternoon.Police Chief Jim Dison said Lynn E. "Butch" Johnson, 67, of Kewanee was arrested after a raid on a home in the 600 block of East 11th Street.The Kewanee Street Crimes Unit and the Black Hawk Task Force assisted the Kewanee Police Department in the raid. At an arraignment for Johnson in Henry County Circuit Court Wednesday, Kewanee Police Officer Eric Peed [...]
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State sues local Great Dane plant over paint emissions
The state of Illinois has filed a four-count civil suit against Great Dane Trailer in Kewanee.In the suit filed by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Count 1 alleges violation of the firm’s Federally Enforceable State Operating Permit (FESOP) by exceeding the monthly usage and emission limits for volatile organic matter (VOM).The 2014 Illinois EPA permit states the limit per month as 7.1 tons or 85.2 tons per year. The suit alleges Great Dane exceeded those limits at [...]
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Kewanee man escapes injury in Madison Avenue house fire
A Kewanee man escaped injury in a fire in his house early Saturday morning. Charles "Chuck" Neufcour, of 733 Madison Ave., was awakened and helped out of his home shortly after 6 a.m. Saturday, by police officers.Kewanee Fire Chief Kevin Shook credited an alert neighbor for reporting the fire after seeing flames coming from the single-story home. Upon arrival firefighters couldn’t enter the home due to the intensity of the blaze and the high winds.Shook said the [...]
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Burglary, escape, resisting lead to 4-year prison term
Airiel L. Mitchell-Watson, 20, of Chicago entered a negotiated guilty plea in Henry County Circuit Court to Class 1 felony residential burglary, Class 2 felony escape and Class 4 felony resisting a peace officer.Assistant State’s Attorney Stephanie Barrick said that on Aug. 25 Mitchell-Watson and Alfonso Duff knocked on a home in the 1300 block of Lake Street in Kewanee, then entered with their faces partially covered with T-shirts. There were three people in the home and one [...]
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Annawan honors four for actions 'above and beyond'
Eric Byam, Austin Weaver, Kivi Juntunen and Hunter Matney were just four faces in a crowd of thousands attending a large farm machinery sale in Annawan on Aug. 21, 2015 when, in an instant they were involved in saving a life and apprehending a criminal.Tuesday night the Annawan Village Board honored the four, two of whom are Annawan High School students, for stepping forward and taking action when they saw something wrong.According to a Citizen Recognition Award presented by [...]
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Man who didn't show up for trial found guilty of felony drug charge
A Kewanee man who chose not to attend his own jury trial and sentencing hearing was found guilty in Henry County Circuit Court of Class 3 felony manufacturing/delivery of cannabis and sentenced to three years in prison and one year of mandatory supervised release.Sergio M. Guerrero, 30, was last in jail in July. He posted $3,000 bond on July 11 and was last in court on July 25 when he waived his preliminary hearing.First Assistant State’s Attorney Catherine Runty said that [...]
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Explosion, fire destory Kewanee house
An explosion and fire Wednesday evening destroyed a house in the 800 block of May Street.The resident was in the house at the time of the explosion and got out. He was taken to OSF Saint Luke Medical Center; no information on his condition was available Wednesday evening.The fire and police departments responded, and Ameren Illinois was called to shut off gas to the property.Nearby residents said they felt the explosion, which damaged at least one house [...]
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State, local investigators looking into home explosion
Local and state fire officials were at the scene Thursday of a Kewanee house that was destroyed by an explosion and fire Wednesday evening. Edd Bickers, 65, was inside the home at 814 May St. at the time of the explosion. He sustained second- and third-degree burns to his hands, feet and head, and was listed in fair condition Thursday afternoon in the burn unit at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield. He was taken by the Fire Rescue Squad to OSF Saint Luke Medical Center and [...]
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Fire victim considers himself lucky to be alive
Even though he was severely burned in an explosion and fire in his home Wednesday evening, Edd Bickers considers himself lucky to be alive.Kewanee firefighter Landon Horrie said Bickers, 65, told him that he feels he’s lucky to have survived the explosion, which destroyed his house and was felt by neighbors to the house at 814 May St.Horrie is the fire department’s investigator, and spoke to Bickers, who is in the burn unit of a Springfield hospital.Horrie said [...]
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DePue tavern owner shoots and wounds burglar
The owner of a tavern in DePue shot and wounded a burglar in his tavern early Saturday morning, Bureau County Sheriff James Reed.Reed said Bureau County deeputies responded to a call at the Junction tavern in DePue. There, owner Charles W. Casford, 33, said he was in his living area, which is attached to the business, when he was alerted by a loud noise in the bar. Casford told deputies he entered the bar with his firearm and observed a large man standing at the cash [...]
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Suspicious package leads to drug arrests in Galva
Four people were arrested on cannabis possession charges Friday after a "suspicious" package arrived at the Galva Post Office.Galva Police Chief Kraig Townsend said in a news release Monday that on Friday, Galva police were alerted by post office employees that a "suspicious package" had arrived from California.Townsend said the package was addressed to people in Galva who were "suspected of trafficking cannabis" by Galva police.Galva police, assisted by the postal [...]
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Wyoming woman dies in fire; baby survives
A 21-year-old mother perished in a house fire in Wyoming Monday, and her young daughter survived. The victim’s name had not been released Monday evening.The young mother apparently broke out a second-floor window and dropped her 12-day-old daughter to the ground, Fire Chief Ed Fogelsonger said.He said firefighters climbed ladders and reached a second-floor room. They were searching for the mother and baby when they looked out a window and spotted the baby on the [...]
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Drug agents make huge cash haul after traffic stop near Princeton
Drug agents seized more than $400,000 from a minivan they stopped on Interstate 80 west of Princeton Tuesday afternoon.According to a news release from Bureau County Sheriff Jim Reed, agents of the Tri-County Enforcement Narcotics Team (TRIDENT) stopped a 2015 Honda Odyssey with California license plates at the I-80 westbound rest stop for a speed and lane change violation.The driver of the vehicle, the news release said, was Darryl J. Price, 36, of Warren, Mich. Larry A. Morris, [...]
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Support has been overwhelming for family of Wyoming fire victim
The outpouring of support has overwhelmed the family of the young mother who lost her life a week ago in a house fire in Wyoming. The story of Shelby Ann Carter, 21, and how she managed to save the life of her 12-day-old daughter has gone viral since the fire on Jan. 30. "The overwhelming support has been unbelievable. There are no words. Baby is perfect and she will be so well taken care of because of the generosity of not only our own community but from strangers who never met [...]
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Shooting death in Kewanee under investigation
Kewanee Police Chief Jim Dison issued this news release Sunday evening on a shooting death that occurred Sunday afternoon:"On February 12, 2017 at approximately 3:44 pm the Kewanee Police Department received a 911 call from the homeowner at 448 Dwight Street, Kewanee. The caller reported a subject kicked in his door and he shot the subject in self-defense. The subject was transported to OSF St. Luke’s Hospital where he was pronounced deceased."Kewanee Police Chief [...]
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Name of Kewanee shooting victim released
A Kewanee man died of a gunshot wound after he reportedly kicked in the door of a Dwight Street home Sunday afternoon.A news release from the Henry-Mercer Investigative Task Force said Wyatt J. Scott, 41, of Kewanee, died from a single gunshot wound.The news release said Michael T. Evans, 44, called 911 to report that he shot Scott.According to a news release from Police Chief Jim Dison, Evans said he shot Scott in self-defense after Scott kicked in the door to his home. [...]
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Investigation continues into Kewanee shooting
The state police officer in charge of the investigation of Sunday’s shooting death in Kewanee said the investigation will be "very detailed" and will take some time to complete.Wyatt J. Scott, 41, of Kewanee, died of a single gunshot wound at the home of Michael T. Evans, 44, at 448 Dwight St.Police at the time said Evans called 911 and said he had shot Scott in self-defense.State Police Lt. Chris Endress is commander of the Henry-Mercer Investigative Task Force, [...]
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Investigation continues into Kewanee shooting
The state police officer in charge of the investigation of Sunday’s shooting death in Kewanee said the investigation will be "very detailed" and will take some time to complete.Wyatt J. Scott, 41, of Kewanee, died of a single gunshot wound at the home of Michael T. Evans, 44, at 448 Dwight St.Police at the time said Evans called 911 and said he had shot Scott in self-defense.State Police Lt. Chris Endress is commander of the Henry-Mercer Investigative Task Force, [...]
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